Maiden of the Forest
by CoolBreeze
Summary: Marian is sick of leading a false life under her father's care, so she decides to make a better life for herself...


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"Oh Robby!" Marian taunted, trying to attract attention in their game of hide-and-seek. John, who was hiding in the bush next to hers, kicked her in the shins, trying to make her shut up; but all he succeeded in doing was to make her scream and yell even louder. "Come on! You must be deaf or something Robin!" she shouted. But at that moment, Robin came tearing through the trees, tagging Marian on the back and toppling over her. Wrestling with each other, Marian pinned Robin on the ground, and said triumphantly, "I pinned you!" "I realized that Marian, but, I only let you beat me." Robin muttered loudly, while getting up and brushing himself off. Laughing at Marian's triumphant face, he took her outstretched hand and pulled her up, leaving his hand on her's a moment to long, but not long enough to be suspicious.  
  
When she had gotten back from that day with her friends she had been caked in dirt, wet and was scolded by her father. She received no supper or breakfast that evening and morning. she had been twelve then, and now I'm seventeen. She thought ruefully of all the years she had lost to custom and "tradition".  
  
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The flashback of when she was younger came suddenly and left just as suddenly. She was still in her horrible room, full of fancy things with fancy jewelry that her father thought would buy her into marrying that ugly, rich, horrible-smelling fool. No, she shook her head,  
  
"I will not marry Lock De Heour!" she said, nodding her head once for emphasis and absent-mindedly, she turned to her most beloved place, the forest.  
  
All anger left her as she sat by her window, taking in the wondrous sight. However, she soon turned angry again that she wasn't with her friends in the forest, helping Robin know that he hadn't done anything wrong, just that he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. She sat there, locked in a room she hated because she was getting married to a man she hated. For what seemed like the thousandth time, she wished she were a boy. A boy would be able to choose his own fate and choose who he married. A girl or 'lady' could not. She was supposed to do what she was told. But I'm not like that! I do what I wish and think what I wish, no one may control me, let alone keep me as a house wife. Robin and John are so lucky. Thinking of Robin and John made her calm down and plan what she was going to do about her life.  
  
She had two choices; one was that she go on as she had been going, living, or trying to live, like a lady. However, there was another way and it appealed to her much more than the other. She could live two lives, one as an outlaw and the other, as a maiden. It would probably be the hardest job of all the outlaws for she would have to be curious and try to figure out what others thought of Robin and his outlaws. And also try to figure out what the sheriff would do about them.  
  
Eyeing the plan she had laid out for her escape to see Robin and John, Marian saw that it worked out perfectly. Her father would be gone for the next week, and knowing him, he thought that she loved this Lock de Heour and that she would be spending as much time as she could with him or, spending time in the woods praying like she usually tried to do. Sometimes she thanked God for her acting lessons from Robin who had taught her everything she had wanted to know like reading and using a bow and arrow and using a knife and that sort of thing. She acted like she loved Lock de Heour, but inside she hated him! Moreover, to think I even have to pretend to love him!  
  
She would go into the forest, disguised as a beggar or something and she would stay there for a night with the outlaws. Every one at her father's house will think she went of secretly to pray for a wonderful life and a wonderful husband and maybe even meet him somewhere. Ha! Yeah right.  
  
The clock in the courtyard struck two after noon, two hours after her father had left for his week of hunting, and she would be leaving anytime soon, when her food came up for her to eat.  
  
Grabbing her cloak, she dove into the garden, looking like a hag that helped the cook or some witch come to heal a wort or something like that. The bread she had carried from the dinner table would keep her many days, and she had brought a flask of wine and meat rolls.  
  
Seeing a face in a window, she looked and to her dismay, the face was looking right at her.her handmaiden.  
  
"Oh no.now I'm in for it, she will know it was I that left, once they find me missing." Quickening her steps, Marian reached the outskirts of Sherwood by the time the face had left the window.  
  
The house cleaner that had seen Marian leaving had known it was her lady, not some hag, and had come to scold her and say good bye.  
  
"Um.Ma'am? Where are you going?"  
  
"Where does it look like I'm going?"  
  
"Oh, Marian, please don't be so easily angered, you scare me sometimes." Reda, one of Marian's maids said. Reda was the only person who knew where Marian went in the woods. Marian had trusted her not tell anyone and Reda respected that trust and remembered the pleading look Marian had given her that she might not tell anyone about her 'second life', as Reda liked to call it.  
  
"I'm sorry, its just I'm sick of acting for awhile. I'm glad I'm leaving for a bit." Marian said that with her wall that she had built up to cover either what she really meant by the saying or something she didn't want other people knowing.  
  
"Alright, but please, don't tell my dad, he'll kill me if he finds out where I'm going."  
  
"Ah, he couldn't kill you, you're to fast."  
  
"Oh.you know what I mean."  
  
After a long pause, the girls nodded heads to one another. "Good bye my friend, I promise I wont hurt myself."  
  
"Alright, but be careful. I've heard that they're a rowdy folk."  
  
"They're my friends! Anyway, I'm stronger than most of them." Marian said, half sadly, half proudly.  
  
Giving her Lady, and friend, a hug, Reda and the other maid sank back into the large house, waving good bye.  
  
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Jogging through the forest, she tried to make out tracks from the ground. Seeing them as clearly as daylight, Marian followed where they took her. Settling down for the night by a clear stream and large oak tree, she dozed off for around four hours, she would get up before the light of dawn.  
  
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When dawn came, Marian had been walking for about three hours and her legs still were not sore. Though she was a "maiden", she had insisted that she get riding lessons and that had kept her somewhat fit. After noon, she started to get tired so she slowed her pace and stopped covering her way. "No one will find me here, I'm in the heart of Sherwood," but Men had been following her and at that time, they went after her, all of them clumsily.  
  
Although she was a girl, that didn't mean she was bad at listening and Marian had heard the many feet and had froze in her tracks, making them confused. Whipping around, she brought out her knife and threw it into the air, catching it into her hand by the handle, just as John had taught her. Then doing some twirls with it, trying to bate them to come. But they needed no bait for, though they were clumsy, they were also determined.  
  
Grabbing out her second knife, Marian stepped into action. She punched the biggest man, but he flipped her easily, counteracting her motion. Whipping her knife around, she knicked him in the arm and he howled in pain, his blood seeping everywhere.  
  
Turning to the next would-be-attacker, she hit him in the jaw and she heard a crack in his mouth. He tried to punch her but failed to do so for he was in too much pain. Kicking another man that was below her, she hit him where no man wants a kick. Doing things like that until all the men where licking their wounds, Marian turned around, satisfied.  
  
"You all need to learn how to fight. That was pitiful. Who taught you to fight like that?"  
  
"Robin Hood" A bold and tall man said.  
  
"Robin taught you how to fight like that!"  
  
"Yes. Why, do you know him?" he grumbled sarcastically.  
  
"Me? Oh, I knew him when I was a child and I wish to speak to him but, I think I will have to help you all learn how to fight."  
  
"We're not going to be taught by a girl!" the men protested, horrified looks on their faces.  
  
"Yes.I think it might teach you some respect. Now please get out of my way! I want to see Robin.  
  
A/N: Thanks to all who are reading this, please review! It is kind of a mixture between The Outlaws of Sherwood and The Forestwife, two great books! Yay! 


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